Blog Archives - HAPPY VEG

Next Week's Recipes!!

6/30/2018

POTATO TACOS with ROASTED CORN PICO

Potato tacos are probably my favourite thing on the planet. I always say, potatoes do everything better and when you try these tacos, you'll agree!
Roasted sweet and russet potatoes spiced with a mexican inspired blend and baked under a layer of cheddar until melty and delicious. Each taco is finished with a few scoops of roasted corn pico, cilantro sour cream, and crispy red cabbage.

ZUCCHINI PARM SLIDERS

Inspired by a bag of dinner rolls I had on hand with no intended purpose, these zucchini parm sliders turned out to be such a delicious meal.
Crispy breaded zucchini, tomato sauce, and melty mozzarella, baked in between fluffy dinner rolls finished with a brush of garlicky herb butter.
Their fun to pull apart and even more fun to eat!

Gardein Back in Canada

6/29/2018

This is big news veggie lovers! After almost 2 years of limited availability in Canada, Gardein's line of meatless products is back on Canadian shelves. Until recently, I could only find three out of their several amazing products, and those were the fish sticks, the meatless crumble, and some crispy tenders. Although these products are super great, it's tiring trying to incorporate these limited products in to your weekly routine without getting sick of them.

There are quite a few products that I've tried in the past that I'm looking forward to enjoying once again. These include;

CHIK'N SLIDERS - Probably my top 3 favourite meatless products. The sliders are the perfect late night snack or make for a great meal when paired up with a salad. I loved how crispy the entire slider was after baking the patties and finishing by baking the bun ever so slightly. All these babies need is a little mayo, lettuce, and tomato, and they're sure to hit the spot.
CHIK'N SCALLOPINI - Love Love Love these! They're perfectly "meaty" and delicious. When I think of meals growing up, we always had our meat, starch, and veggies, and these scallopini make for the perfect meat on your plate. They fry up beautifully and really take to searing perfectly. A little brown around the edges makes these extra delish!
TURK'Y CUTLET - Also one of my top 3's, these cutlets really give you everything you could want from a meatless sub. Delicious, crispy coating, flavour, and the gravy provided is so wonderful. It's herby and light, delicious drizzled over the cutlets. Can't wait to get my hands on them!

There are also quite a few products from their line that I have yet to try, but am looking forward to trying. These include;

CHIPOTLE BLACK BEAN BURGER / SLIDERS - I was not the biggest fan of Gardein's original veggie burger but I can see myself enjoying these. I'm a big fan of nutrient dense black beans and can see these boasting some pretty great flavour. Plus, if the sliders are half as good as the chik'n ones, I'm sure to love them!
MEATLESS MEATLOAF - I must admit, my mother's meatloaf growing up was pretty phenomenal. I'm super excited to see what Gardein has done with this classic comfort dish.
PORKLESS BITES - I'm iffy on these because I disliked the texture of the meatless beef bites, but I'm willing to give them a try!
SKILLET MEALS - I'm really hoping to locate their skillet meals on my next shopping trip. I love the convenience of everything coming in one bag and the ease of simply emptying it into a saute pan and letting things sizzle away.

For those of you who are not familiar with Gardein's line, visit their website and take a look at the variety of products they carry and where to find them!
www.gardein.com/

HAPPY VEG

Veggie Stew

6/27/2018

Stew is a great meal to enjoy when you have an abundance of produce and want to try and incorporate all of it into a dish. You can honestly include any assortment of veggies and it will still be delicious.

This stew recipe includes potatoes, parsnips, corn, and a variety of garden veggies, swimming in a savoury and delicious stew broth that really smells like comfort. Every bite warms you up from the inside out and leaves you full and satisfied.

Looking to enjoy a big ol' bowl of stew today? Head to the RECIPES page <3

HAPPY VEG

Spiced Chickpea Tacos

6/25/2018

If you're as obsessed with tacos as I am and want to enjoy them as often as possible, it's important to come up with a variety of things to stuff inside of them. The good thing is, the possibilities are truly endless!

This week's taco recipe features spiced and sauteed chickpeas, cheesy refried beans, and a quick and tangy coleslaw to cut through richness and freshen everything up. The combination of savoury and fresh is utter perfection, so get your butt's over to the RECIPES page and get your taco on!

HAPPY VEG

Next Week's 2 New Recipes

6/23/2018

SPICED CHICKPEA TACOS

A good taco is something that can turn your whole day around. I swear to you guys, my mood improves generally if I have the opportunity to enjoy a delicious taco! It's a fact!
Speaking of tacos, you guys can look forward to these delicious spiced chickpea tacos! Seasoned and sauteed chickpeas, creamy refried beans, and a crispy, fresh cabbage slaw to finish things off. The slaw is the perfect fresh contrast to the creamy, rich beans, and heavily spiced chickpeas. Everything is perfectly balanced and perfectly delicious!

HEARTY VEGGIE STEW

It went from being in the 90's, down to the high 60's this past week which inspired me to whip up a stew. Stew's are great for cleaning out the crispers of your produce because you can truly add whatever veggies you like and it will still be delicious.
This stew boasts a hearty collection of veggies including potatoes and parsnips, along with other garden veggies, coming together in one delicious, savoury bowl of stew. Notes of thyme and rosemary tickle your tongue with every bite, it's delicious!

Chopped Salad with Lemon, Dill, and Chive Vinaigrette

6/20/2018

Although they take a bit more effort than a tradish garden salad would, they're worth every minute of effort in my opinion.

CHOPPED SALADS

**As opposed to a regular garden, a chopped salad gives you more of everything on your salad in every bite.

**There's more opportunity to include veggies without your salad looking clunky. The more veggies the merrier in a chopped salad!

**Often times, it's what's on the salad that you're after! Bypass all of the lettuce (not that I'm trashing Romaine or Spinach!) and get straight to the good stuff.

**I find them fresher as well. A light vinaigrette is all a chopped salad needs to be fresh and delicious.

Head to the RECIPES page for the recipe!

HAPPY VEG

Tomato Veg Gnocchi

6/18/2018

When I first tried a blended tomato sauce in college, I felt like a whole new world had been opened up to me. I was quite used to enjoying things chunky but blended sauces tend to be much more flavourful, and are also perfect for every kind of pasta out there.

Now, if you wanted a simple marinara, just some garlic and pepper flakes blended up with tomatoes would be just fine, but I like to add more to make the sauce extra flavourful. Using a mirepoix is a guaranteed way to get your sauce boasting some serious flavour. Onions, celery, carrot, and in this case, pepper, are all sauteed until soft, and finished in a crushed tomato sauce until cooked thoroughly. When the sauce is finally blended, it has the most beautiful orangey red colour and tastes fabulous. All of the veggies really helped to spice things up and give this sauce some serious oomph.

Head to the RECIPES page for my super simple blended tomato vegetable sauce gnocchi.

HAPPY VEG

2 New Recipes for Next Week

6/16/2018

CHOPPED SALAD with Lemon. Dill, and Chive Vinaigrette

I'm a huge fan of chopped salads because it allows you to get a little bit of every delicious ingredient in every bite.
This fresh and colourful salad includes zima tomatoes, bell pepper, celery, green onions, and feta cheese, tossed in a lemony dill and chive vinaigrette. The dressing really plays up the freshness of the dish making every bite refreshing and delicious.

TOMATO VEG GNOCCHI

A good sauce can make even the worst pasta acceptable. I've played around with a lot of different sauces in my recipes but one of my absolute favourites is a blended sauce. Blended sauces always seem to be the most flavourful without having to use the most ingredients.
This batch of sauce is a play on the very first blended sauce I learned in college. Mirepoix with the addition of bell pepper and some pepper flakes for heat, blended until smooth and delicious. The simplicity of this sauce makes it even more special. Add in some tender gnocchi and you've got a meal that tastes like it took ages with minimal effort <3

Coconut Paneer Masala

6/13/2018

This was my very first time working with paneer cheese and I must admit, I am very happy with how this dish turned out.

Paneer cheese looks similar to a brick of tofu or feta cheese and is quite firm. It has an extremely mild flavour and is often used in vegetarian Indian dishes as a meat substitute.

Starting with the paneer cheese, I seared it prior to adding it to the masala sauce which gave it a nice brown colour, and amplified the cheesy flavour of the paneer. Once cooked, I folded the paneer cheese into a rich, coconutty masala sauce full of warm and inviting spices.

The resulting dish is so flavourful, creamy, and delicious. Served over a bed of brown rice and finished with fresh cilantro and lime, it's a 2nd helping kind of dish. Head to the RECIPES page!

HAPPY VEG

Creamy Sweet Potato Soup

6/11/2018

While I was recovering from wisdom tooth surgery, I had to stay away from chewing, which I must admit, is super brutal. That being said, I whipped up this delicious sweet potato soup to nourish me while I recovered.

Although I'm not the biggest fan of the texture of sweet potatoes, I love their flavour. That's why this blended soup is right up my alley! Full of sweet potato flavour with notes of ginger, garlic, and a bit of heat, every bite is rich and delicious. Not to mention, sweet potatoes are super nutritious, so they were the perfect food to help me recover.

If you love sweet potatoes, head on over to the RECIPES page for my first recipe of the week <3

HAPPY VEG